Card issuer response codes (ISO 8583) · Decline codes
What does card decline code 93 mean?
Checked
Code 93 is a Visa issuer response code in the ISO 8583 set meaning "transaction can't be completed—violation of law". The bank believes approving the payment would break a law or regulation that applies to it, for example a legal restriction tied to the cardholder or merchant. Visa lists 93 in Category 2, allowing up to 20 reattempts in 30 days. The shopper should use another payment method.
- Type
- Hard decline (legal)
- Who declined
- The card's issuing bank
- Visa category
- Category 2 (issuer cannot approve at this time): up to 20 reattempts in 30 days
- Retry
- Not useful
- Shopper action
- Use another payment method or ask the bank
- Merchant action
- Offer alternatives; check what you sell to that country
- PlatformDTC renewal (fixed or Smart retry)
- Never retried; customer asked for a new card
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC is stricter than Visa on 93 and never retries it. On either retry schedule, fixed or Smart retry, a renewal declined 93 is held past due and the customer is asked, through a signed one-click link, for a different payment method. The per-card network cap applies regardless.
Why it happens
A legal or regulatory rule stops the bank from approving. The bank does not say which rule.
What the store can do
Ask for another payment method. If it clusters on one country or product, check the rules that apply to selling there.
For developers
On Stripe the raw issuer code arrives in charge.outcome.network_decline_code (here "93"), next to Stripe's own decline_code. Read it together with the card brand: the same two characters can mean different things on Visa and Mastercard. 93 is in Stripe's Visa table and Visa's Category 2; it is not in Mastercard's table. PlatformDTC lists 93 as never-retry.
Frequently asked questions
- Is code 93 about the store or the customer?
- The bank doesn't say. It applies a legal restriction that could relate to either.
- Does Visa let me retry code 93?
- Yes, it is Category 2, but a legal restriction rarely changes between attempts.
Sources
Related
- 62 — Restricted card: the card can't be used here, often because of region or country.
- 57 — Transaction not permitted to cardholder: this card isn't allowed to make this purchase.
- 5C — Transaction not supported or blocked by issuer.
- 94 — Duplicate: the request matched one the issuer had already received.
- 96 — System malfunction: an error in the issuer or network system stopped the payment.
- 1A — Additional customer authentication required: the bank wants 3-D Secure / SCA.
- 6P — Verification data failed: cardholder ID details didn't match the bank's records.
- 9G — Blocked by cardholder: the cardholder set a block. Contact the cardholder.